Into The Dark
by pokeitlikejello
Summary: A case Mulder worked on in the past comes back into his life when a serial killer escapes. As Mulder brings Scully onto the case with him, things go wrong... very wrong. Rated M for MATURE content, including triggering materials.
1. Chapter 1

"Morning, Scully," Mulder greeted her as she stepped into the basement office.

"Good morning, Mulder," she returned with a smile.

"Case file's on your desk," he said and gave a nod toward it. He was standing at the filing cabinet, sifting through the files, looking for something that didn't seem to be there.

"What have we got?" Scully asked.

She picked up the case file and flipped it open. Mulder stopped his search and leaned against the filing cabinet, eyes on her.

"Jake Cohen," he told her. "Thirty eight. Convicted of nine murders and serving six life sentences consecutively."

Scully's eyebrows drew together as she skimmed the police report. "How does this involve us?"

"Didn't catch the news this morning, Scully?" Mulder asked her.

"No." She looked up at him. "My alarm didn't go off, so I didn't have time. Why?"

"He escaped from prison sometime between last night and this morning," Mulder informed her.

"How?"

She looked down at the mug shot included in the file. Jake Cohen's dark hair was unruly and his eyes were wide and dark.

"That's the mystery." Mulder approached her. "No one knows."

"What do you mean?" Scully brought her gaze back to him.

"Cohen was in his cell at night, but the next morning, he wasn't there." Mulder sat against his desk.

"So, it had to be an inside job," Scully concluded.

"That's what they're thinking, except no one knows how he could have gotten out even if it was an inside job," Mulder replied. "The security cameras picked up nothing, the guards were accounted for all night. It appears as if he just... disappeared."

Scully closed the chart, eyes locked with his. "And you think this is an X-File?"

"Could be," he answered her. "We're going to check out the prison cell and talk to the guards."

"Okay then." Scully nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

Mulder stepped into the jail cell first. He breathed out in a quiet sigh, not seeing anything that immediately indicated this was an X-File. But he knew who he was dealing with, which meant the means of escape could have been under strange circumstances.

It wasn't that Jake Cohen appeared to have any special abilities, but he seemed to be able to keep himself from being caught. It took months to finally put him under arrest and even that had been tricky.

Scully observed Mulder's careful consideration of the room. She didn't see anything peculiar or out of place. She was certain one of the guards helped Cohen to escape. It was the only plausible explanation.

"Well?" she asked.

"Everything's in perfect order," Mulder said and faced her. "A little too perfect."

"What do you mean?" Her eyebrows drew together.

"The bed's made." Mulder stepped to the side, so she could get a better view of it. "There were rounds at midnight."

"So?" she replied. "If he was planning to escape, he wouldn't have gone to bed."

"If he was planning to escape, he would've wanted to _appear_ as if he had gone to bed," Mulder told her.

"Or maybe he didn't care," she pointed out.

"It just doesn't seem right." Mulder took another look at the cell. "Even if he was waiting, he would have at least sat down. There's no indication this bed had been touched."

"I don't know why that's so important," Scully honestly confessed to him.

"Yeah," Mulder agreed quickly. "Let's go."

Mulder moved past her and stepped out of the jail cell. He waited, allowing Scully to walk down the cell block first. He came up beside her, blocking her from the men in the cells on the left.

"In any case, we need to figure out what his next step is," Scully said. "He's obviously dangerous."

"Yeah," Mulder responded, distracted with his own thoughts.

They stopped at the door and waited for the buzzer to sound. Once it had, Scully opened the door and stepped to the other side where a guard was stationed. He gave them a tight smile as they headed for the main entrance.

"Mulder, are you okay?" Scully asked, noticing how quiet he had become and how distant he seemed.

"I'm fine, Scully."

Mulder forced a smile on his face, but she wasn't convinced. She let it go for now, not wanting to press it when they still had work to do.

They walked down the white metal staircase at the end of the hall and stepped onto the main floor. The doors leading outside were in front of them, but Mulder led Scully to the left where the security office was located.

"One quick stop," Mulder told her.

"Where?" she asked.

"Security office."

Mulder stopped at the door with 'Security Office' printed on it in bold black letters. The guard that brought them into the prison was on the other side of the door. He stood upon seeing them and buzzed them in.

Scully entered first and Mulder followed her in. He approached the desk since Scully wasn't quite sure what they were doing here.

"Agent Mulder," the security guard greeted him. "Is there something you need?"

"Actually, yes," Mulder answered. "Have you looked through all the footage from last night?"

"Yes, it's all been reviewed," he responded.

"What about during the day?" Mulder asked.

"He was here during the day," the guard said.

"But did you look to see if there was any suspicious activity?" Mulder replied.

"We don't have that kind of time to look through hours of footage to maybe see five minutes of him," the guard explained, "but if you want to, you're welcome to the tapes."

"Yes." Mulder nodded. "Thank you."

The guard gave a nod in return. "I'll have someone bring them up."

* * *

Scully was staring down at the case file. She glanced over at Mulder, but his eyes were focused on the road as he drove them to the motel. She looked back down at the file.

"Mulder?"

"Yeah?"

"Who was the arresting officer in Jake Cohen's case?" Scully brought her gaze back to him.

He looked over at her. "What does that matter?"

"Well, you seem to know a lot about this man," she said.

Mulder kept his eyes on the road and remained quiet for a long moment.

"I led the investigation. I was the one who took him in."

"Why didn't you say something before?" she asked.

"It wasn't worth mentioning," he answered.

"Why not?"

"I was just lucky we even caught the guy," Mulder explained. "It took months. He would vanish. Sometimes right before our eyes. We set up cameras in his apartment and we were about to go in and get him. He walked out of frame in one camera, but didn't appear again on any of the others. When we went in, he was gone. There was no way he could have left his apartment without us seeing."

"Then how did he get out?" she replied, confused.

"We never figured it out," he told her. "We ended up getting a lucky break when two feds saw him at a mall, probably hunting his next victim. We staked out the place and got him."

Scully closed the case file. "You got inside his head before, where do you think he's going now?"

"I don't know."

His words were dismissive and he kept his focus on the road. Scully's eyebrows drew together as she watched him. He was trying to let on that this case meant nothing personal to him, but she could see through that.

Instead of pressing him further on the matter, she kept quiet and looked out her own window.

* * *

Scully knocked on his motel room door. After a minute, the door opened. Mulder gave her a smile and stepped back, allowing her room to enter.

"Come in," he said. "I have something for you to look at."

Mulder closed the door and led the way over to the television. The tape was paused on a scene from the cafeteria. Scully planted her hands on her hips as Mulder hit play.

"Here's Cohen entering the cafeteria." Mulder pointed Jake Cohen out on the screen. "But he doesn't eat."

"Maybe he was nervous about escaping," Scully offered an explanation.

"He doesn't do anything," Mulder went on. "He sits down, right there, in the back, for the entire lunch, then gets up and leaves. No talking, no moving, nothing."

"And?" She cocked an eyebrow.

"Maybe it wasn't him." Mulder paused the tape. "Maybe it was someone... or something else."

"What are you getting at, Mulder?" she asked.

"When we were sitting on his apartment, he wouldn't do anything, but sit or stand," Mulder explained, locking eyes with her. "He didn't eat, he didn't use the bathroom, he didn't watch television, or answer the phone."

"And you think that... what?" she replied, a little confused. "It's a hoax?"

"Or that he's projecting himself," Mulder said.

"Projecting himself," Scully repeated doubtfully, a frown planting itself on her face.

"He's physically in another place," Mulder presented his theory. "He has the focus, the energy, to project himself, his image, somewhere else. A sort of astral projection."

She was at a loss for words for a moment as she stared at him. Scully shook her head.

"You can't be serious."

"He could have escaped days before his projection vanished." Mulder walked toward the bed and picked up his jacket. "I need to get the security tapes from the past week."

"Mulder, shouldn't we be figuring out who helped Cohen escape so we can try to find him?" Scully suggested as she approached him.

"We'll get that answer in the tapes." He zipped his jacket and headed for the door.

"You'll be wasting your time," she responded. "It's impossible. You'll be watching days worth of footage for nothing."

"If you don't want a part in it, that's fine, Scully." Mulder opened the door.

"Wait," she said. "I'm going with you."

Scully went after him and closed the door behind herself.

* * *

Mulder and Scully found themselves in the basement of the prison with the night security guard, Joseph Watson. He was bald, buff, and seemed quite irritated with his job.

Watson flicked on the light to the storage room and stepped in. Mulder and Scully followed him in to see rows of shelves lined with boxes.

"What is it you want again?" Watson asked.

"The security tapes from the past week," Mulder answered him.

"Why?" Watson grunted and led them down a row.

"I believe we can find out who helped him escape by looking at his interactions," Mulder said.

"You're not like other cops, are you?"

Watson eyed Mulder up a moment, then glanced at Scully, before pulling a box from the shelf above his head. He dropped the box into Mulder's arms.

Mulder was surprised by the weight, but managed not to drop it. Watson pulled another box down, but didn't hand it over to Scully. He carried it as he brought them back to the door.

"These have the whole last week?" Mulder asked, following behind him.

"Yes."

Scully glanced over at Mulder and followed him out of the room.

* * *

"Say we don't find what you're looking for, Mulder." Scully looked to her partner, the passing street lamp illuminating him for a moment. "What then?"

"We'll find something." His hands were tight on the steering wheel.

"And if we don't?" she asked. "You know him, who he was. Do you know what he could want? Where he would go?"

"His mother's," Mulder answered. "But the cops are all over there. Besides, if he escaped before last night, he could have already been to his mother's and left."

"Wouldn't you think someone would have noticed if he wasn't talking or eating?" Scully said. "Or that someone would have noticed a man running around in prison clothes?"

"Not if he had help."

His tone told her this conversation was over with.

Scully still couldn't understand what it was, exactly, that was upsetting Mulder. He had trouble with this case the first time around, but she didn't know why this particular case was _so_ important to him.

When they arrived at the motel, Mulder parked and got out before Scully even got her seat belt off. He was standing at the open trunk when she stepped out of the car.

"I got this box," Mulder told her. "You can have the other."

He headed toward his room carrying one of the boxes. Scully went to the trunk and took the other one out. She had trouble closing the trunk, but after she managed to get it shut, she went towards her room.

Mulder was opening his door, box of tapes at his feet, as she reached her room.

"Mulder, what am I supposed to be looking for?" she asked.

"If he's interacting with others and eating," Mulder answered and picked his box back up. "That means he didn't escape. When he becomes an emotionless drone, that's when you'll know he's not there."

She frowned, thinking this wasn't going to help them at all. "Mulder..."

"Please, Scully." His eyes locked with hers. "Trust me."

"Fine," she gave in. "I'll call if I find something you'd be interested in."

Once Scully accessed her own room, she began the tedious task of going through the video tapes. She was already tired and the work was boring. It was hard enough to pick Cohen out of the other inmates, but she also had to pay attention to see if he seemed "there."

Her tapes were from the beginning of the week and she assumed she would find nothing of interest. Although, she noted the same guard paid particular attention to Cohen, but other than that, there was nothing strange.

Scully was trying not to drift into sleep as she fast forwarded through footage. She was almost about to take a break when she saw it. Jake Cohen was zoned out and silent. Scully paused the tape and picked up her cell phone. He answered after one ring.

"Mulder, it's me. I think I got something."

"I figured you would," he responded. "My tapes included a Jake just as zoned out as the tapes from the night before. I was seeing if anyone noticed. I'll be right over."

Scully hung up her cell phone and tossed it to her bed. She went to the door and opened it, waiting for Mulder. His motel room door opened and he came into her room.

"I was hoping I would get more insight into his ability from watching my tapes, but I don't think I'm any closer to understanding it," Mulder told her as he walked toward her television. "What have you got?"

"Cohen went into that trance like state four days ago," she said and hit the play button.

"That's not good," he commented.

They watched the tape together in fast motion, Mulder's eyes fixed on Cohen. Scully leaned closer to the television as well, seeing someone familiar.

"That guard." She pointed.

"What about him?" Mulder asked and froze the tape.

"He talked to Cohen in the other tapes," Scully informed him. "Quite frequently, but never for very long. Now, it's almost like he's overlooking him, pretending he's not there."

"Could you tell what they were talking about before?" Mulder asked.

"No." She shook her head. "It was always brief. Usually one sided. I thought they were just snide remarks, but this guard could be the one who got him out."

"Looks like we're heading back to the prison," Mulder told her and turned off the tape.


	2. Chapter 2

Scully had hoped Mulder would wait until at least seven that morning to head to the prison, but he insisted they leave immediately. It was three in the morning when they arrived. She let Mulder lead, considering the time was unusual for a visit.

When they stepped inside the prison, they were greeted by Eric Valdez, the prison warden. Scully found it odd that he was there so late, but she realized he must be in hot water over the escape.

Valdez took them into the security office. Mulder popped the tape in the VCR and hit play. He froze the scene of the cafeteria and pointed to the image of the prison guard Scully told him talked with Cohen quite often.

"Who is this guard?" Mulder asked.

"One of our finest, Henry Douglas," Valdez answered. "You came over here at three in the morning to talk about Henry?"

"Is he here now?" Mulder said, not answering Valdez's question. "We'd like to see him."

"Are you thinking he was involved, Agent Mulder?" Valdez replied, taking his turn to refuse answering a question.

"We don't want to jump to any conclusions," Scully cut in since she knew Mulder wasn't going to tone down his suspicions.

"Henry's a good guy, upstanding, one of our best," Valdez told them. "I can't imagine he'd be involved."

"We'd still like to speak with him," Mulder responded.

"He's on night shift," Valdez admitted. "I'll go get him."

Valdez stepped out of the security office and walked away. Mulder ejected the tape from the VCR. Scully stood with her hands planted on her hips. Neither spoke as they waited for Valdez to return with Henry.

After several minutes, the door opened and Henry Douglas entered. His blonde hair was cut short and he was just a touch taller than Mulder.

"I'm Henry Douglas," he spoke. "Valdez said you wanted to talk to me."

"I'm Agent Mulder, this is Agent Scully," Mulder told him. "We're from the FBI. We wanted to discuss Jake Cohen."

"It's pretty crazy he escaped," Henry commented. "I wasn't here the night it happened. I don't know how he managed it."

"You weren't working that night?" Mulder asked.

"Nope," Henry answered. "My day off."

"Where were you on that night?" he went on.

"Home," Henry replied. "I ran some errands during the day; stayed in and watched a movie that night."

"Anyone with you?" Mulder's eyes were fixed on him.

"I live alone." Henry's voice hardened. "What are you getting at? You think I helped him?"

"I think you know there was something different about him," Mulder said. "And I think you know he didn't escape Tuesday night."

Henry was quiet a moment, holding Mulder's eye contact. "What are you talking about?"

"You were friendly with him, talked to him," Mulder explained.

"Yeah, about as much as I did any other inmates," Henry told him. "You got to keep 'em in line. I tell them to shut up, to not to back talk."

"We viewed the security tapes and you appeared to talk to Cohen quite a bit until Saturday," Mulder responded. "Then you ignored him."

"I don't understand how that matters." Henry shook his head. "Big deal. I'm a guard, he's an inmate, we don't have to talk every day. Now, I have to get back to my shift."

Henry brushed past Mulder and walked out of the room. Scully turned her gaze to her partner and lifted her eyebrows at him.

"That went well," she commented.

"I know he had something to do with it," Mulder responded gruffly, under his breath.

Valdez entered the room and held the door open. He looked at Mulder.

"Anything else I can help you with?" he asked, his tone indicating that he was not pleased.

"No," Mulder replied and walked out the room.

Scully held back a sigh and gave a tight smile to Valdez.

"Thank you for your time," she told him.

She left the room and caught up to Mulder's side.

"What's our plan?" she said.

"Get some rest," he answered. "Talk to Henry Douglas again later."

* * *

Scully's elbow rested on the car door, her chin planted in her palm. She stared out the window as Mulder drove. He had been talking since they turned onto the main road. Scully was half listening, half wishing she was asleep.

"He helped get him out of there, Scully," Mulder went on. "I'm not sure how, but he did. He knows what Cohen is capable of. Maybe he wanted in."

She sat up straighter in her seat and looked over at her partner.

"Mulder, a person cannot project their image like that," she told him. "And even if he claimed he could, why would Henry Douglas believe him?"

"Maybe he wanted to know how to project himself," Mulder replied. "Cohen would teach him."

"I don't know, Mulder." Scully looked back out her window. "Perhaps it's about time we join the other agents in their investigation."

Mulder was about to disagree when his cell phone rang. He reached into pocket and pulled it out.

"Agent Mulder," he said into his phone.

Scully directed his gaze back to him curiously. Mulder slowed the car and nodded.

"Okay. Yes. We'll be there."

He hung up his phone and tucked it back into his pocket.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Cohen's still in the area," Mulder informed her. "In a warehouse across town."

Mulder turned the car around on the empty stretch of road and sped off in the other direction. Scully stared at him, confused.

"How did they figure that out?"

"Police got a call from a man who saw Cohen and even talked to him," Mulder explained. "That's how _I_ know it's not his projection."

He pressed his foot harder on the gas pedal and they reached the warehouse in ten minutes, despite missing a turn the first time around.

As soon as Mulder parked the car, he was working his seat belt off and reaching for his gun. Scully cautiously unbuckled her seat belt.

"Maybe we should wait for back up," she suggested.

"I'm not letting him catch on and get away," Mulder replied and got out of the car.

Scully frowned and popped open her car door. She stepped out and quietly shut the door. Mulder headed for the worn metal door in the front of the warehouse. Scully pulled out her gun and followed after him.

It was dark inside the warehouse and Scully kept close to Mulder. There was old machinery and construction materials littering the floor.

"I'm going to head that way," Mulder whispered and pointed, "you fan out over there. Call if you see him and I'll back you up."

"Okay."

Mulder, gun and flashlight aimed, walked cautiously away from Scully. She glanced at her partner before heading in the direction he had indicated. She kept her eyes wide, sweeping over the darkness, looking for Cohen.

Scully was careful and deliberate with each step. She was still a little on edge about going in without back up, especially since this man was dangerous, but she knew they couldn't be without help for long.

Mulder saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned and ran toward the movement. He spotted Jake Cohen and picked up his pace.

"Freeze, Cohen," Mulder commanded. "Or I will shoot you."

Scully heard Mulder call out and tried to figure out where he was. She began to run toward the sound of his voice when suddenly she was grabbed by the arm and yanked backward as another powerful hand knocked her gun from her grip.

"Mulder!" she screamed.

The hand that grabbed her covered over her mouth, muffling her voice. She felt the barrel of a gun against her temple. She turned her head just enough to see Jake Cohen out of the corner of her eye.

"Don't move, don't fight, don't make a sound," he warned. "I have no reason to keep you alive, so the moment you make a mistake, I will put a bullet through your brain."

Scully was breathing in and out heavily through her nose, trying to form a plan on how she was going to get out of this. She wasn't sure where her gun was and she knew any tactic to get him away from her would lead to his gun going off.

"We're going to wait, understand?" he asked. "We're going to wait just a little bit, okay?" He pressed the gun harder against her head. "Okay?"

She nodded and he tightened his grasp on her.

"Now, I'm going to remove my hand from your mouth so I can get this tie around your wrists and if you make any noise at all, you'll be dead before you can even finish a word, got it?"

Scully nodded again. Slowly, Cohen removed his hand from her mouth. Her lips parted and she breathed in as he brought out a long cable tie from his pocket.

She weighed her options. It was either let Cohen do what he wanted or try to fight him. But she knew he was unstable and if she did try to escape, he could shoot her without a second thought.

Cohen pressed himself against her as he worked the tie around both her wrists. He pulled it tight and she winced. She could hear Mulder calling out for her, but he wasn't near her. He sounded worried.

"All right now," Cohen whispered in her ear as he covered her mouth once more. "We're going to walk very slowly. Again, if you try something, you're dead. Now move."

He gave her a nudge and she stepped forward. He forced her to take a few more steps before he stopped.

"Get your shoes off," he commanded. "They make too much noise."

She didn't move.

"_Now_."

Scully used her left foot to slide the back of her right shoe off her heel. She slipped out of the shoe and then did the same to her left foot, having a bit more trouble using her bare foot.

Once both shoes were off, Cohen kneed her in the back of the leg to get her moving. Scully began walking, not knowing where he was taking her. She could no longer hear Mulder and she wondered where he was.

They reached a closed door and Cohen turned her around. He used his backside to push against the rail and open the solid metal door. He pulled her outside with him.

The ground was cold on her feet and she stepped in a puddle as he forced her over to a dirty dark blue van. He kept the gun against her head, but removed his hand from her mouth.

"Shhh..." he said and opened the back door of the van.

Cohen shoved her inside and slammed the door shut. Quickly, he got in on the driver's side and sped off. Scully rolled around on the cold metal of the floor as he took corners too fast and sharp. When he stopped at a red light, she worked on sitting up.

But, as he took off again, she fell over, landing hard on her arm. Scully let out a shaky breath and wondered where he was taking her and what he was going to do. She felt sick and wished she had tried to call out to Mulder again, despite Cohen's threats.

* * *

"Scully! Scully."

Mulder heard a snapping sound come from below him. He aimed his flashlight on the ground and saw he had stepped on a cell phone. He picked it up and realized it was Scully's.

His flashlight beam quickly scanned over the floor, but stopped when it landed on Scully's gun. Mulder reached down and grabbed her gun.

"Scully?" He called out, taking another look around. "Scully!"

He took a few more steps, flashlight still aimed on the ground as he wondered if he would find her there, hurt or worse. Mulder stopped when he saw her shoes. He aimed the beam forward and that was when he saw the door across the room.

Running, Mulder hit the door at full force, throwing it open and causing it to smash into the wall. He looked around at the outside environment, but there was no sign of Cohen or Scully.

"Scully! Scully!"

A police car came to a screeching halt in front of Mulder. The passenger side door flew open and a blonde woman, no more than thirty five, stepped out of the car. She approached Mulder quickly.

"Agent Mulder?" the woman said. "I'm Detective Sandra Hayes. What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Cohen took Agent Scully," Mulder told her.

"You saw him?" Hayes asked, eyebrows raised.

"I think," Mulder replied. "He was definitely here though because my partner is gone."

"You should have waited for back up," Hayes responded harshly.

"I couldn't let him go," Mulder explained.

"Well, you did, didn't you?" she retorted.

Three more police cars pulled up. Detective Hayes signaled them to go inside the building through the door Mulder had used to get out.

"It's not exactly my fault," Mulder defended himself. "Cohen plays tricks."

"Right," she agreed crisply.

Detective Hayes headed toward the building. Mulder remained outside, trying to figure out his next move. Cohen had Scully and Mulder had no idea on how they got away, where they were going, and what he would do to her, but he knew for certain that it couldn't be good.

* * *

"Come on."

Cohen dragged her into the small cabin in the rural woods. Scully found herself standing in a living room with fireplace. It smelled musty and she identified the prison guard, Henry Douglas, in a family photo on the wall.

"He was in on it," she said and looked at Cohen.

"Shut up, please," he replied calmly and pulled her toward the hallway.

"I have to use the bathroom," she told him.

He took her down the hall and she could see the kitchen in front of her. There was a closed door off to the left. Cohen yanked her into a room on the right. It was a small bathroom with a tub and no shower.

Cohen shoved her toward the toilet and spun her around to face him. He reached for her pants and she stepped to the side.

"What are you doing?" Scully demanded to know.

"Do you have to go or not?" Cohen asked in response.

"I can do it myself," she assured him.

"Go ahead."

Cohen stepped away from her, his eyes locked with hers. She stared at him in return.

"Untie me," she said.

"No," he replied.

"Just so I can use the bathroom," Scully told him.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" He lifted his eyebrows at her. "Huh?"

Cohen reached for her. She flinched as he stuck his hand into her pocket and pulled out her FBI wallet. He flipped it open and examined it.

"Dana Scully, huh?" He looked up at her. "Scully. What kind of name is that? Where's it from?" Cohen waited briefly for a response. "Hm? What. You're not talking to me now? I can just let you piss your pants, you know."

He placed her wallet in his pocket and reached for her pants again. She tensed, but didn't fight him. He unbuttoned her pants, then ran the zipper down. He yanked her pants and underwear down and shoved her harshly down onto the cold toilet seat.

"What's your middle name?" he asked.

"Don't have one," she answered.

"Liar." Cohen folded his arms over his chest. "I see your cross. You're religious. Your parents gave you a middle name. Or you've got a confirmation name. Catholic, right?"

Scully didn't want to have a conversation with this man, so she gave into his first question.

"Katherine. What's yours?"

"I _honestly_ don't have one," he responded.

Cohen pulled her back to her feet and yanked up her pants and underwear. He zipped her pants, but left them unbuttoned, and brought her back into the hallway.

He took her into the kitchen and to a door in the corner of the room. He opened it and flicked on a light switch before going in first.

Cohen held her hard by the arm and pulled her down an old staircase. When they reached the ground, she saw she was in a basement. It was retro in decor, the furniture from the 1970's with their faded orange, yellows, and browns.

"They're going to find me, you know," she told him.

"Of course they will," Cohen agreed sarcastically.

He led Scully over to the couch and took out a pair of handcuffs. He placed a cuff around her right wrist and let the other half hang.

"What are you going to do?" she asked, trying not to sound panicked.

Cohen yanked her hard toward the support pole next to the arm of the couch. Cohen cuffed her to it before pulling out a switchblade knife. Scully winced as she felt the metal against her wrist. He quickly cut the cable tie and it fell to the floor.

Scully pulled her now free left arm around her, thankful that it wasn't strained anymore. Cohen shoved her down onto the couch and the handcuff dug into her wrist. She fumbled with it, changing the angle of the cuff to make sitting on the couch easier.

Cohen picked up a basin from the corner of the room and brought it over to her. She eyed it up as he placed it on the other side of the couch, next to the pole.

"Use that to piss in," he instructed. "I'll see you later."

He walked to a CD player next to the staircase and turned it on. Music started playing, too loud for her ears. Cohen walked up the stairs, turned off the light, and slammed the door. Her eyes widened as she tried to see in the pitch darkness and she was very much alone.


	3. Chapter 3

He was pacing. He was always pacing lately. Mulder had taken up home at the FBI headquarters. There was an ongoing investigation to find Scully and he was doing everything in his power to try and crack the case. He needed to be inside of Cohen's head. He needed to find her.

Detective Hayes entered the room and stopped when she saw Mulder. He scratched at his stubble covered cheek and halted his pacing.

"I thought I told you to go home," Hayes said, her tone crisp.

"You have no authority over me," Mulder replied.

The other agents in the room stopped their work and watched the exchange between Hayes and Mulder. She approached him.

"Agent Mulder," she lightened her tone. "We're doing everything in our power to find your partner."

"It's not good enough!" Mulder exclaimed. "Do you know what he does to his victims, Detective Hayes?"

"I read the case file." She planted her hands to her hips.

"He tortures them any way he can," Mulder said, eyes locked with hers. "He makes a calculated game plan, gets into their head, psychologically destroys them and physically hurts them. He's evil and the longer Agent Scully is with him, the more likely she will never recover... or end up dead."

"Agent Mulder, a word."

Mulder looked to the doorway to see Skinner. He glared at Hayes, believing she went to Skinner over this. He brushed past her and walked out into the hall. Skinner joined him and closed the door to the room.

"You're going to take me off the case," Mulder stated.

"Not if you get home and get some rest," Skinner told him.

"I can't." Mulder shook his head. "Not with Scully missing."

"Then at least pretend to get some rest," Skinner replied. "You've been here for three days, Mulder."

"Right," Mulder agreed. "Rest." He drew in a breath, needing to make a decision. He didn't want to get taken off the case. "I'll be back this morning though. Early."

"Fine."

Mulder returned to the room and swiped his jacket from the back of his chair. He stormed back out and went to the elevator. He harshly jammed his finger into the button.

He wasn't going to be able to rest at home. If anything, being at his apartment made his worrying worse. He figured he would just review the old case and try to figure out where Cohen would take to hiding.

When Mulder arrived home, he stepped into his apartment and flicked on the light. He froze at seeing Cohen standing in the middle of his living room. Cohen turned toward him and smirked. Mulder withdrew his gun and aimed.

"Hold it right there, Cohen," he commanded.

Cohen's smirk grew and Mulder watched as he faded away into air. Mulder approached the spot where Cohen stood, gun still aimed. He looked around, but soon realized he was alone.

"Damn," Mulder breathed out and placed his gun on his desk.

He sat down at his desk and put his face in his hands. He was tired, but the thought of Scully with Cohen kept him awake. Mulder had to get inside this guy's head; he had to know him, understand him, which led to his mind imagining all the terrible things he could be doing to Scully this very moment.

But he saw Cohen, or at least, his presence, a projection of himself. If Cohen had been in his apartment, it meant the real him _had_ to be in the trance like state to project himself. Being in a trance meant he wasn't hurting Scully.

"I gotta find her," Mulder said. "If I were Cohen... where would I go? It's gotta be a place I know... a place easy to get to, somewhere... somewhere somewhat close..."

Mulder stood from his desk and began to pace his living room.

"I can't forget that stupid guard," he continued speaking his thoughts aloud. "He could be helping. Between them, they could have a hiding spot." Mulder sighed. "I need somewhere with space. It can't be around others. If I wanna do what I do best, I need to be sure I won't be heard. Where would I go?" He stopped pacing. "Damn it."

He flopped down on his couch and placed his face back in his hands again. He let out a frustrated cry and ran his hands through his hair.

* * *

The light came on, but she hadn't been sleeping. She blinked against the brightness and prayed he would turn the blasting music off. She couldn't sleep with it on, she couldn't think. The only thing the music could do for her was give her a headache.

But she knew that was his plan. He wanted her hungry, thirsty, and without sleep. By now, it had gotten to her. So much so that she couldn't think clearly. The world was blurred at the edges and everything her eyes managed to focus on became surreal.

It felt like she was alone in the basement for over a week, but she knew it couldn't have been that long. She wondered how many days had passed since she was left in complete darkness. He kept the music on, but he didn't return. Not until now.

Each creak of the stairs stood out sharply against the music as Cohen came down to her. He approached slowly and hesitated a moment, locking eyes with her, before clicking the CD player off.

"Have you been sleeping?" he asked.

She looked away from him instead of giving an answer. No, she hadn't slept, but she didn't want to tell him that.

"Are you all ready and willing to talk to me about Agent Mulder then?" Cohen approached. "I need information and I'm sure you can provide it."

"I can't," she said, raising her gaze to him.

"So you're willing to die for him then," Cohen concluded.

Her eyes were locked with his. "He's my partner."

Cohen sighed and walked toward the center of the room, where another support beam stood. He stopped and faced her.

"And he'd do this for you?"

"Yes," she answered crisply.

"How do you know?"

He made his over to her quickly and she pressed herself into the couch. He loomed over her, but she didn't completely back down. Her gaze was still focused on him.

"Because he's my partner," Scully told him.

"Oh." He backed off. "Okay." He nodded. "I'll be back later."

Cohen went toward the staircase. He stopped at the CD player and reached out to turn it on. Scully let out a cry, causing him to stop.

"Wait." She sat up straighter and the room swayed a moment. "No... Don't go. Please."

"Why not?" He smirked.

She raised her eyes up to meet his as she breathed in and out heavily. Scully couldn't take the music anymore. It was the same eleven songs, the same fifty two minutes, over and over again with their loud bass and incessant drumming.

"Please," she begged. "Don't."

"Dana Katherine." Cohen took a step toward the couch. "Katherine. Kat." And another step. "Dana Kat." And another. "Dana... _Kat_." He stopped at the arm of the couch and lightly touched the support pole. "Are you ready to talk, Kitty Kat?"

Scully felt she was beginning to lose her ground. She didn't want to be around Cohen anymore, but she knew his leaving meant the music would be back on, which she was certain she couldn't listen to again. She just wanted a chance to sleep.

She looked up at him and decided to continue to engage with him. She was willing to take the risk to see where this would go. Scully knew she couldn't give up her partner, but Cohen was really starting to break her.

"You're going to kill him," she said.

"Why on earth would I want to do that?" Cohen played innocent.

"Because he put you in jail," Scully stated.

"My own actions did that," Cohen replied. "Now, Dana Kat, we can keep going on like this... or you can tell me what I want to know."

"But I can't." She shook her head and blinked back the tears that suddenly formed.

"Yes, you can," he told her gently. "It's easy. Once you start talking, nothing can stop you."

Cohen smirked. He was enjoying this more than he should. He didn't want to get carried away, but seeing her so desperate, so upset, was really turning him on. After all, he knew all he needed to know about Mulder. She really was expendable.

"Dana Kat, I want to help you." Cohen knelt beside the couch, coming down to her level. "Are you thirsty? I want to give you water. Are you hungry? I want to feed you. I would love for you to get some sleep. But you won't let me help you."

"I can't do that to Mulder," she responded and lowered her eyes to the floor.

"All right." Cohen nodded.

He stood erect and headed back to the CD player. Cohen turned the music back on and walked up the stairs. He turned the light off at the top and closed the door behind himself as he left.

Once she was alone, Scully began to cry. She leaned against the side of the couch and brought her head to her handcuffed wrist. She pressed her ear to her hand and covered her other ear with her free one.

Scully closed her eyes, wishing this would all go away. She wanted to pass out, to fall into unconsciousness so she could finally get some rest. But she wasn't going to be so lucky. She opened her eyes and stared across the room, gaze fixed on the darkness around her.

Immediately, she zoned out. She could picture Mulder in her mind and she saw Cohen walking up to him and firing a gun. The bullet went through Mulder, his blood splattered, and he collapsed to the floor. He bled out, right there, and she wasn't around to save him.

The light coming back on tore her away from her thoughts. She lowered her hands and watched Cohen approach her, a plate in one hand and a glass in the other.

"I brought you something," Cohen said. "If you're willing to give a little, Dana Kat."

She was so thirsty and she couldn't remove her attention from the items he was holding. He placed the plate containing a sandwich and the glass of water on the floor before turning off the music.

"Now... I brought these for you." Cohen picked the plate and glass back up. "Do you want them?"

Scully lifted her gaze to his face, but didn't answer. She spaced out a moment, losing her concentration, but he brought her back when he spoke.

"Do you?" he prompted. "I'd like an answer. Do you want them?"

She swallowed hard. "Yes."

"Tell me about Mulder," Cohen instructed. "His address, phone number, the car he drives, where he works. I want all the information. I want to know where you think he is, what he's probably doing."

"If you're not going to kill him, what will you do?" Scully asked, her eyes glancing down at the glass of water.

"That's a secret, Kitty Kat," Cohen told her. "If you talk with me, I'll let you eat, drink, and sleep. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Scully nodded, tears forming in her eyes. "Yes. But I can't live with that guilt."

"There is no guilt," Cohen assured her and she almost believed him. "You will have none, Dana."

"I will," she meekly responded.

Cohen drew in a breath. "I guess your mind's made up. I'm sure you'll fall asleep eventually, but it'll take a little while yet to starve to death."

He turned his back to her and began for the staircase. Scully's eyes followed him.

"Wait."

Smirking, he stopped. He paused a moment before facing her.

Cohen walked toward her and stopped beside the couch. He lowered the plate so she could take the sandwich. Scully looked up, waiting for permission.

"Tell me what I'm looking for and it's yours," he said.

"And I can sleep too?" she asked him.

"Of course." Cohen nodded.

"Okay," she agreed, her eyes fixed numbly on the sandwich. "Okay."

* * *

Mulder was seeing him everywhere. Cohen was in his apartment, at work, in the parking garage. It was him, but never him. The projection would remain stoic and would make eye contact sometimes and then smirk.

It angered him every time he saw him. Of course, for a minute, he thought it was the real Cohen, in the flesh. But he soon realized by lack of response that it was only his image, nothing more. Mulder knew it was a taunt, Cohen showing he had power over Mulder and that this game was not going to be an easy one to win.

* * *

It was a day later and Cohen had seated himself on the floor, his back against the wall opposite her. She watched him from the couch, wondering what his plan was.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Dana Kat," he said, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You ever see something like this?"

She stared at him. "Like what?"

"Agent Mulder could never figure it out," Cohen told her. "That's what drove him crazy. It's not complicated once you understand."

"Understand what?" she replied.

Scully watched as Cohen closed his eyes. He became completely still, breathing slowly and evenly. She sat up a little more, the cuff sliding further down her wrist.

The image of Cohen, fully standing, formed in front of her eyes. She looked from him to the Cohen that appeared to be asleep on the floor.

"How did you do that?"

The image of Cohen smirked at her and stepped closer to her. He eyed her up and leaned toward her. Scully pressed herself back into the couch and suddenly Cohen had vanished. The Cohen on the floor stirred from his trance. He stood to his feet, his eyes locked on Scully.

"Mulder was right," she said in awe.

"Oh?" Cohen stood to his feet. "So, he does know how it works, huh?"

She shook her head. "It's impossible."

"Is it, Kitty Kat?" Cohen walked toward her. "You just saw it with your own eyes."

"I'm sleep deprived and hungry," she offered as an excuse because she didn't want to believe it.

Cohen frowned. "You didn't get enough sleep last night?"

"No," she answered quickly. "What you just showed me was a trick. You didn't fool me."

"It's not a trick," Cohen replied. "It's quite simple. You have to reach a higher level of your mind, get into that place, and then forget everything else. Focus on what you want and where you want to be. Of course, it takes a lot of work and practice to master." Cohen shook his head as he looked down on her. "Dana Kat, you are quite confused when it comes the ability of the mind."

He made his way over to the CD player and turned it on. Scully held back a groan at the music and then watched as Cohen left her alone in the dark. She rested her head against the couch and stared across the room.

She wondered how much longer she would be here, she wondered if Mulder would find her. Her thoughts remained there, with Mulder and she thought only of him. How worried he must be, how little sleep he must be getting.

When the CD came back to the beginning, Scully realized just how much she zoning out. She was losing time, missing it, tuning it out. But just as suddenly as she had been alert, she was zoning out again due to her extreme fatigue.

Her gaze still fixed on the black in front of her and she felt as though the music was starting to fade away. She was glad for the break, hoping maybe she'd fall into an unconscious state to escape for a little while. However, she was surprised when she suddenly found herself standing in Mulder's apartment.

Mulder awoke with a jolt and sat up on the couch, causing the papers that had been resting on his chest to fall to the floor. He drew in a breath and then froze at the sight of Scully standing in his darkened living room.

"Scully."

Her back was to him and she turned at hearing the sound of his voice. Mulder stood to his feet, still in shock.

"Scully, how did you get here?"

She began to speak, but there was no sound. It was her image, but she wasn't fully there. Mulder approached slowly.

This was what Cohen had managed to achieve and here Scully was, doing the same thing. It gave Mulder a sudden hope. If she was projecting herself, it meant she wasn't dead.

"Can you tell me where you are?" he asked.

Scully realized she couldn't vocalize her thoughts. She frowned at her partner and walked to his desk. Mulder followed her and lingered close to her. Slowly, Scully used the tip of her finger to write the letter _D_ an inch above the desktop.

Mulder grabbed a pen and paper and wrote the letter down. He continued as Scully spelled for him until he came up with _DOUGLAS_.

"What about him, Scully?" Mulder said. "He's in on it? Is he with you?"

Scully stared at him a moment before going back to spelling. Mulder jotted down the five letters and then stared at the pad that read back _CABIN_.

"He has a cabin?" Mulder asked her. "Is that where you are? Scully, I'll come to you, okay? I'll find you."

He couldn't stop himself from reaching out and touching her shoulder. The moment he had, she vanished from his sight.

"Damn it," he cursed.

Mulder threw the pad and pen to the desk and grabbed his coat. He put it on as he headed to the door. He would find out where Douglas' cabin was and he would go there. He just hoped he would make it there in time.

The air was cool when he stepped out of his apartment building. The night was dark and there was no one around. From behind a shadow, Mulder saw a figure emerge. He stopped and realized it was Cohen.

Mulder drew his gun and aimed it. He approached slowly as Cohen stood there, smirking.

"I'm going to find you, Cohen," Mulder told him. "I know where you are."

Cohen spoke to him without sound. Mulder tried to read his lips, but it was too dark.

"Game's up," Mulder said. "You're mine, Cohen."

Mulder turned to get to his car when Cohen began to approach _him_. Mulder stopped and faced him, waiting to see what this apparition would do.

"Actually, Agent Mulder," Cohen spoke. "You're mine."

The shock that Cohen had tricked him froze Mulder to the spot. He was too slow to react and before he could get his gun raised, Cohen had knocked him out cold.


End file.
